Paper Luigi: The Dream Cathedral
by Tyranitar
Summary: An urgent letter arrives for Mario, but Luigi is the only one available to answer its call for help. Can Luigi survive in the big city of New Appelle, and can he and his new partners really prevent the unspeakable calamity that Merlon claims only Mario can stop? Well, probably, I don't like bad endings very much.
1. Opening: Letters Arrive, Brothers Depart

Oh hey, I'm still alive. For some reason. I'm also still writing dumb things, this story being one of my larger "projects". Then again, pretty much all of my "projects" are ridiculously large, so I suppose that rather, this one is one of the highest priority ones on my list. I'm also still working on my Smash Brothers story, for all zero people who care about that for whatever reason, I just... Have to get around to writing it again. Ehehe. Anyways, here is my Paper Luigi story, something that I started writing as something entirely different, as some sort of fake game write-up, going into entirely too much detail, something that I'm still doing on the side as I write this. However, that version can't be posted here due to it being entirely in script and other nasty, unclean formats, so I'm editing it into acceptable format piece by piece and uploading it here, since I want SOMEBODY to be able to read it, at least. Bear in mind, I am not the most original mind, and I hardly ever actually read fanfiction anymore, so chances are I'll have come up with a partner, location, or something else that is already in existence in some other story, so uh, apologies in advance if that happens? You're more than free to yell and scream at me if such a thing happens, of course, and I'll do my best to accommodate and change whatever it is as much as I can without screwing up the story. Of course, I'm probably just being overly paranoid, but this is basically one of the reasons I'm always hesitant to actually post any of my stuff here, I'm always afraid someone else has thought of all of my ideas first. ANYWAYS, this has gone on for long enough, I'll just state now that, names, locations, and etcetera are all subject to change, particularly the title, as I am **HORRIBLE** with names, as you will no doubt very soon see, and I was just trying to think of some sort of "Paper Mario-y" sounding title, since "Paper Luigi: The Placeholder Subtitle" isn't really a good name for a story in my opinion. Other than that, I hope that at least someone out there gets some enjoyment out of this story, and reviews are of course always nice, but I'm not going to beg for them like so many people here seem to do. Constructive criticism is welcome, I'm always looking to improve my sub-par writing skills, and if you want to just yell at me and tell me to eat a reef, then that is fine too. Regardless, apologies for the overly long author's wall of text, hopefully you'll enjoy, and also hopefully it won't take me three years to put the next chapter up...

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Disclaimer: I forgot, do I still need to put one of these? I guess I will just to be safe. I don't own anything within this story other than the plot itself, I suppose, and _MAYBE_ the partners and other "original" characters and crap, but then again, they're all Mario species and stuff, and it's not like I'll ever use any of them outside of this story anyways, so I don't think I'd own them regardless. So basically, I own nothing, Nintendo does, etcetera and so on.

* * *

"Is everyone here?

Alright then, gather around children, today I will be reading to you the story of the fabled Dream Casters, a tale that, as you will soon find out, is quite near and dear to my heart.

In the Mushroom Kingdom, as is so strangely common an occurrence, there are said to be a group of mysterious artifacts that, according to legend, are capable of fulfilling any and all of the dreams of the person or people who can gather them all together as one. They are known as the Dream Casters, seven star-like objects that were created long ago, though by whom or what force is unclear. Some people say they've been around for longer than civilization itself, while others claim they were created by an ancient wizard to stop a horrible calamity, while some even proclaim them to be ancient, powerful ancestors of the Star Spirits, who sealed away their own power to prevent them from being misused. While their origin has always been an enigmatic mystery, the one thing that most who know of and believe the legends agree on is that the power they wield is absolutely incredible, and whoever can lay claim to all of them will have all of their wildest dreams come true, no matter how farfetched or outlandish they may be, capable of altering peoples' minds and bending the very fabric of reality itself to do so. Even alone, they are capable of changing peoples' fortunes and granting them success that they wouldn't have otherwise. Unfortunately, as it so often occurs when it comes to such powerful objects, many people pursue them for selfish, evil reasons, and the Dream Casters were no exception to that rule. Though generally kept undisturbed from their resting places for many, many years, the Dream Casters would eventually become involved in a dark, sinister plot that would throw not only the Mushroom Kingdom, but the entire world into great turmoil..."

* * *

We open on the Mario Brothers' residence, on the kind of crisp, clear, beautiful day that was the norm in the Mushroom Kingdom, as the dutiful Parakoopa mailman, Parakarry, was duly delivering another letter, shouting out "Mail Call!" as was his custom. Shortly after he departed into the sky towards his next destination, Luigi stepped outside, stretching and yawning as he walked over to the mailbox to retrieve it's contents. As he shuffled through the various junk and fan mail that his brother received on a daily basis, one familiarly fancy, regal letter in particular caught his attention, and he walked back into the house with a spring in his step, excitedly showing the letter to his brother, Mario, who was still seated at their dining table, groggily hovering over the half-eaten breakfast that Luigi had prepared for the two of them, clearly still half asleep, if not more so.

"Hey bro, still not awake, huh?" Luigi asked his brother with a chuckle as he took his seat across from him, mail in hand. Mario, seemingly barely registering Luigi's presence, merely shook his head 'no' and mumbled incoherently under his breath as his face drooped lifelessly over his coffee cup. "Yeah, boy, that last job sure was a nightmare, huh bro? I still can't believe some of the things that people think are alright to flush down their toilets!" Grinning, Luigi held the letter out to Mario, the sight of which seemed to perk his brother up rather quickly.

"Well, hopefully this'll lift your spirits, it's a letter from the Princess, and you know what that usually means, right?" Luigi grinned at his brother, as the red clad man's face lit up at the word 'princess'. "Haha, I figured that'd wake you up a bit. Anyway, I'll just read it out loud like usual, alright?"

With an eager nod of confirmation from his brother, Luigi carefully opened up the dainty, elaborately decorated envelope and pulled out its contents, an even more elaborately decorated letter, then began to read aloud from it.

"Dear Mario,

I have wonderful news! Today is the day that the Mushroom Kingdom's new royal cruise ship, the Grand Toadstool, takes its maiden voyage! As our Kingdom's savior, you, of course, are invited as a special guest of honor on the cruise, as well as the party we will be having on board as it takes its first voyage to sea and back! I've enclosed your ticket with this letter, and the festivities begin this afternoon, so please don't be late! I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!

P.S. I'm sorry Luigi, I tried to get you a ticket too, but according to the people organizing the event, you weren't considered 'recognizable enough' to be invited, and even as the Princess, I'm apparently not of high enough authority to allow anyone without a ticket on board. But don't you worry, I'm going to be having a word with those jerks, believe you me, and I PROMISE I'll get you a ticket for the next trip, okay? Thanks for understanding!"

Sincerely, Princess Peach

Luigi's face drooped slightly as he finished reading the letter, and he let out a small, dejected sigh before shaking his head and smiling back at Mario, who was giving his younger brother a look of concern. Reaching into the envelope, he pulled out the ornate red and gold ticket that, as the Princess said, was included with the letter, handing it to his brother almost regretfully.

"Ah, well, I guess I should be used to things like that by now..." the green clad man said with a sad little chuckle, quickly changing his tone to a brighter one so as not to ruin the good news on Mario's end. "But hey, that's alright, like the Princess said, there's always next time for me, right? Anyway, congrats, bro! I heard that only the creme de la creme of the Mushroom Kingdom were being invited for that cruise, so who knows how many famous celebrities you'll meet there! I mean, not like it gets any bigger or more famous than you, but... Hey, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you, bro, a chance to rub elbows with the elite and just relax with the Princess for once!"

Mario nodded enthusiastically, giving a little "woohoo" of excitement as his brother looked at the clock and frowned.

"Gee, it's already 10:45, you'd better hurry up and get ready, bro, you don't wanna keep the Princess waiting, and you sure don't want to show up to such a fancy shindig dressed like a plumber, do you?" Luigi stated, causing a shocked look to flash upon Mario's face as he shook his head 'no' emphatically and rushed into the brothers' bedroom to change his clothes and get packed. Zipping out moments later wearing a fancy tuxedo with a red bow tie and trim, Mario stood anxiously in front of his brother, waiting for his opinion on his choice of suit.

"Lookin' sharp, bro!" Luigi grinned, giving his brother a thumbs up of approval, allowing Mario to breathe a sigh of relief. "I mean, it'd probably look a lot better in green, but hey, red's fine too!"

Mario rolled his eyes at his brother's sarcastic statement then grinned back at him as the man in green walked over and clapped him on the back.

"Don't sweat it though, bro, I'm sure you'll fit right in with the upper crust now!" Luigi said encouragingly, before a thought popped into his head which made him frown slightly. "...Uh, but maybe you should think about packing a change of clothes, just in case, y'know? Not to put a damper on things, but you know what usually seems to happen when the Princess throws a party..."

Mario nodded knowingly to his brother and began to speak to him in his 'usual' way, which generally relied on understanding his wild hand motions more than actual words.

"What? You're wearing your tux over your overalls?" Luigi stated quizzically, before shrugging his shoulders and letting out a small laugh. "Well, that's one way of packing light, I suppose... Ah, but don't let me hold you up any longer, Princess Peach is still waiting for you, after all! And don't you worry about a thing, bro, I'll keep an eye on the place while you're gone, like usual. Now go on and have fun, bro, and give the Princess my regards!"

Mario nodded, and with another "woohoo", bounced out the door and down the pipe leading from the brothers' house to Toad Town, whistling happily to himself all the way. The focus stayed on Luigi, however, and as soon as Mario's whistling stopped and the familiar sound of his brother sliding down the warp pipe in their front yard was heard, Luigi sighed heavily to himself as he placed his elbows on the table and let his head slump down. His cheeks resting lazily on his knuckles as he stared wistfully out the window into the beautiful Mushroom Kingdom sky, Luigi shook his head and began to speak aloud to himself.

"Darn it... Once again, Mario gets to go off on some fun, exciting vacation, while I'm left sitting at home watching after this dumb ol' house. Bowser will probably crash the party, like usual, and Mario will get to go off on some grand adventure, like usual, all the while I'll be stuck here, doing nothing but waiting for news about all the cool things my brother is off doing... Like usual."

Getting up and strolling over to the brothers' bedroom, Luigi took a somewhat aged photograph down from their dresser and sighed once again as he stared at the picture it displayed, one of himself, Mario, and the Princess, smiling broadly at the camera. The picture was taken, as Luigi remembered, shortly after the brothers' adventures through Dinosaur Land, where they had first met their pal, Yoshi. It was the last time in a long time that Luigi was in any of the pictures that lined the dresser, most of them containing only Mario, the Princess, and whatever other no doubt wonderful friends that Mario had made during the adventures he had embarked on without him.

"...Gah, it's not fair!" Luigi pouted as he set the photograph back down more roughly than he had wanted to upon the dresser, causing the other picture frames to shake slightly from the impact, one of them falling off his side of the dresser entirely. "I mean, I'm a hero too, aren't I? We aren't called the 'Mario **Brothers**" for nothing, are we? Yet, Mario is the only one who ever gets any of the attention or praise anymore, while most people don't even know who I am! Geez..."

Shaking his head bitterly, Luigi finally took notice of the picture frame that had fallen off the dresser and reached down to pick it up, a small smile creeping across his lips for a moment as he stared fondly at the photograph displayed within it, a photograph of himself, Rosalina, and a whole bunch of cute little Lumas that were happily gathered all around them. No Mario in sight.

Of course, the one right next to it on Mario's side of the dresser contained Mario, Peach, and Rosalina, with Luigi just barely visible in the background amongst a group of Toads and Lumas, but Luigi payed no heed to it, instead placing his most treasured photograph gently next to it back where it belonged, scooting it out in front of the others a little so as to make it stand out a bit more.

"See, I'm just as much of a hero as Mario is... At least, Rosalina thinks so..." Luigi lamented to no one in particular, as he sat down upon his bed and stared sadly back at his favorite photo. "I mean, sure, maybe I'm not as brave as he is, or as quick-witted, but I'm faster, and I'm an even better jumper than HE is, so I can get the job done just as well in my own way!" Glancing over at the (much) smaller set of photographs on his side of the dresser, Luigi shivered a bit at the sight of his most recently taken picture, one that contained an adventure he'd much sooner forget than anything else. "...Er, as long as it doesn't involve ghosts... Brr... I really should check up on the professor soon to see how Spooky's doing, though..."

Before Luigi could give the thought anymore attention, however, there came a sharp knocking sound upon his door, one that Luigi certainly didn't recognize as belonging to his brother or any of their acquaintances, the sound startling him instantly out of his self-pity party, to such a degree that he jumped clear out of his seat, bonking his head on his own bunk in the process.

"Owowowowow, Mama Mia..." Luigi muttered in pain as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly. Once the pain had died down, he soon realized that there was still someone knocking at his door, and he hastily cried out, "C-COMING, JUST A MOMENT!"

Rushing to the front door, almost stumbling over one of the misaligned floorboards at the entrance to his secret room in the process, Luigi had to stop nearly on a dime to prevent himself from crashing right into the door, and after taking a moment to compose himself, he opened it somewhat warily, not knowing who exactly would be waiting for him on the other side.

"H-Hello...?" he called meekly, opening the door just a tiny crack and peering out from behind it. Not getting a response, and not seeing anyone in the small space that was visible through the crack, Luigi cautiously swung the door open wider, and was immediately baffled, as there did not appear to be hide nor hair of anyone on the other side.

"W-What the...?" Luigi stuttered in confusion, stepping outside as he glanced up, down, and around the house, not able to see anyone anywhere, nor could he see anyone in their front yard. "_Strange_..." he thought to himself, "_I didn't hear anyone go down the pipe... Come to think of it, I didn't hear anyone come up it either..._"

A sudden sense of paranoia creeping over him, Luigi quickly rushed back into his house, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it instantly. "Okay... That was weird..." Luigi said to himself, shaking his head in utter confusion as he turned and began walking back to his kitchen table to try and finish the breakfast that he had been neglecting since the mail had arrived. "I'm just going to pretend that never..." Luigi was stopped mid-sentence, as he quickly noticed something out of place sitting atop his table, a letter that he was certain wasn't there before, sitting right next to the open letter of Peach's, on Mario's side of the table. "...H-H-Happened..."

Gulping, Luigi felt a chill run down his spine, as the sense of paranoia crept back into his brain, even stronger this time. Looking all around the room, eyes darting every which way, Luigi began panicking at the thought that whoever it was at the door had somehow snuck in when he wasn't looking. Shakily grabbing his hammer from the wall for protection, Luigi made his way into the bedroom, and searched everywhere for any sign of an intruder, even taking the time to check his secret room, on the incredibly unlikely off-chance that someone had seen through his cleverly disguised entrance. They hadn't, of course.

As he returned to the kitchen, Luigi hung his hammer back up on it's hook and breathed a small sigh of relief, one that got caught in his throat midway as he once again noticed the letter that had mysteriously appeared upon his table.

"...Geez, Luigi, what are you doing?" he said to himself in disgust, once he realized how ridiculous he was acting. "Scared of a letter, really? ...Man, now I remember, THIS is why no one takes me seriously anymore... Well, no more of THAT, you hear me, me?"

Walking defiantly over to the letter, Luigi snatched it up and glanced at both sides of it, looking for any signs of identification or postage. There was none at all, save for a neatly written, cursive script reading "To Mr. Mario". Undeterred, Luigi tore the envelope open, shaking it upside down over the table to spill it's contents out in front of him. Curiously enough, another ticket fell out of the envelope along with the letter, something which piqued Luigi's already budding interest.

"Huh? What's this...?" Luigi said, picking up the ticket and looking it over. "A first class ticket to New Appelle for my brother? Who in the world would send something like this?" Setting the ticket down, Luigi picked up the letter that came with it, unfolding it to see the same neat, cursive script that was scrawled on the envelope. Reading it silently to himself, Luigi's interest and curiosity soon turned to panic and dread by the time he had finished.

"To Mario,

My name is Merlon. Perhaps you may have crossed paths with another Merlon or two during one of your no doubt countless journeys, but I assure you that we have never met before. I live in the city of New Appelle, a bustling metropolis which I'm sure you recognize immediately as one of the biggest cities in the Mushroom Kingdom. Apologies for the vagueness, but I'll just cut right to the chase, since I'm uncertain how safe it is to reveal any particular details of this in a letter. As people of my race often do, last night I had a vision, a vision concerning you, and it is most urgent that I speak to you as soon as possible. You mustn't waste any time, for this is a matter of grave importance, as I fear the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom, if not the world itself, is in utter peril. It must be you, and ONLY you, who heeds this call, for reasons I will specify when we meet face to face in the privacy of my house, the only place I know of that is safe from potentially prying eyes. Attached to this letter is a plane ticket to New Appelle, please drop whatever you are doing immediately and make haste to the airport at once. I will be waiting for you at my house, which I'm certain you'll be able to locate quite easily once you arrive.

P.S. Do **NOT** tell _**ANYONE**_ else about the contents of this letter, or that you are leaving for New Appelle, this matter concerns you and you alone, I am certain of that fact, and it is simply just not safe to trust anybody in this situation.

-Merlon

Luigi jumped up in shock once he finished the letter, dropping it to the table as he shot his attention over to the clock on the wall and gasped.

"Oh no, Mario's probably already at the docks!" he cried, hastily scooping up the letter and ticket back into the envelope. "I gotta hurry up and get these to him before it's too late!"

Rushing out the door, Luigi didn't even remember to lock it behind him, such was the urgency in his step, as he zipped down the warp pipe to Toad Town. Running through it's streets as fast as his feet would carry him, slipping and sliding every which way as he tried to turn corners, Luigi cried out his brother's name repeatedly in the vain hope that he would hear him, but all he got instead were a lot of curious looks from the residents of Toad Town as he passed them all by on his frantic dash through the usually peaceful town.

Finally, he arrived at the Toad Town docks, but unfortunately for him, the entire area was absolutely packed with onlookers watching the ship as it got ready to head out to sea for the very first time, many hoping to catch a glimpse of the Princess, Mario, or their other favorite celebrities.

"_MARIOOOOOOOOOOO!_" Luigi cried out, trying desperately to get his brother's attention before the ship departed, as he fought to make his way through the incredibly dense crowd of people. "Hey, please, I need to get to my brother, Mario! It's extremely important!"

"Hey, watch it, pal!"

"Yeah, and my mom is Princess Peach!" shouted someone else from the crowd, drawing a bit a laughter from the others around him. "Get in line like everyone else, you loser!"

"Yeah, no cutting!"

Before Luigi could say anything else on the matter, he was unceremoniously dumped back out at the back of the crowd. As he lay face first in the dirt, he could hear the incredibly loud sound of the ship's horn, signaling it's departure, followed by the wild screams of the crowd as everyone began to yell and wave goodbye to those onboard, much to Luigi's horror. Shooting to his feet, Luigi decided it was time for desperate measure, and jumped atop the crowd itself, stepping as quickly as he could atop the heads of the unsuspecting and none-too-pleased citizens in front of him.

"_**MAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOO!**_" he cried at the top of his lungs, as he waved frantically to Mario, trying desperately to get his attention. Just as his brother caught sight of him, however, someone angrily grabbed a hold of his legs and yanked him down from his perch, sending him crashing back down into the crowd of people, completely undetectable to his brother, as the ship slowly cruised out to sea and faded away into the distance.

Luigi could do nothing but cower in fear and hope to not get trampled as the crowd began to pour out around him, everyone else eager to get back to their normal lives or to Club 64 to continue celebrating now that the ship had departed. It wasn't until a good minute later when Luigi finally looked up, only to see he was the only one left around, save for a small smattering of Toads who presumably worked at the docks, all of whom looked on at Luigi with varying looks of bewilderment or scorn.

Struggling to get back up to his feet once again, Luigi quickly fell back to his knees and hung his head in defeat once he realized the boat was no longer anywhere in sight.

"Oh, no..." he began, grasping the sides of his head as he began to shake his head more and more. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! NOW how am I supposed to get this to Mario?! The ship isn't supposed to be back until next week! Mama Mia, what am I gonna do now?!"

"Mommy, why is that strange green man talking to himself and vibrating?" came the precocious voice of a young Toad child, who stood a short ways away, pointing at Luigi as he and his mother waited in line in front of an ice cream vendor.

"Come along now, dear, it's not nice to point at raving lunatics." the child's mother replied, handing the boy his ice cream cone and ushering his gaze away from Luigi. "They're people too, after all!"

"...Hnnngh, think Luigi, THINK!" Luigi said to himself, not at all paying any attention to the slight scene that he was causing. "Come on, what would Mario do? ...Oh, right, he'd go, because... The letter's... For him..."

Luigi drooped his head once more, letting it hang there for a moment before suddenly perking it back up, an uncharacteristically determined look upon his face.

"Hey, you know what? Who's to say Mario always has to be the hero?" he stated to himself, scoffing as he picked himself back up once again, this time much more confidently. "Sure, this Merlon guy may have asked specifically for him and only him, but how was he to know his letter wouldn't reach him in time? And sure, I'm not Mario, but I'm the next best thing! Whatever it is that he needs Mario for, I can do just as well! Yeah, that's right, let Mario have fun and relax for once, it's finally Luigi's time to shine!"

Hopping up in the air excitedly, a new resolve manifesting within him, Luigi hurriedly began to make his way to the Toad Town Airport, the ticket meant for his brother clutched firmly in his gloved hand, as a few of the Toads who were still watching him cheered him on, regardless of the fact that they had absolutely no clue whatsoever who he was or what he was doing.

* * *

PAPER LUIGI: THE DREAM CATHEDRAL

**PRESS START**

* * *

Yuck, hopefully that opening section wasn't too "generic-y"or "same-y", again I was trying to go for a natural, Paper Mario feel, and I think they all started with story book openings, so... Anyways, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon, in case anyone starts reading this. Bye for now!


	2. Prologue, Part 1: A Bumpy Arrival

Okay, so what I'm going to try to do is, since I end up making everything I write so incredibly long without realizing it, I'll try to split things up a bit more with this story, making shorter on site chapters, since I guess most people don't want/like reading through 10,000 word plus chapters every chapter. Or maybe they do and I'm just dumb. Oh well.

I've also realized that I seem to have made this part rather dark in tone for a Paper Mario "game", but it'll probably lighten up once I get past the prologue. Or something. Maybe? I hope so at least.

Oh right, also, it's horrible trying to rewrite this in this format, because nearly half or more of what I've written and will write is just random NPC dialogue and the like, so it's gonna SUUUUCK trying to get it to work in a more natural, story like setting, and I'll probably end up having to cut a lot of it out because reading a story where Luigi and friends go around talking to absolutely EVERYONE multiple times is... Well, _I_ wouldn't be opposed to reading it, but I'm sure everyone else would be, so poopies.

ANYWAYS, I'll shut up now. Enjoy.

OH RIGHT THAT'S RIGHT, ONE MORE THING I FORGOT TO MENTION IN THE FIRST PART. If you see any typos or the like, please point them out to me so that I may fix them, because I am unfortunately not a very thorough proof reader. Thank you~.

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"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."

"Sir, you need to wake up."

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."

"Your flight landed an hour ago, sir, you're causing delays!"

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..."

"Oh, for the love of... _**HEY, WAKE UP ALREADY, YOU LAZY BUM!**_"

Startled awake at long last, Luigi was instantly confused by the look of pure, unbridled loathing that the flight attendant Toad standing in the aisle to his side was giving him.

"Wha...?" Luigi muttered groggily, wiping the sleep gunk from his eyes. "Are we there yet?"

Transitioning to the outside of the plane, where the sun was just beginning to fade away beyond the cityscape horizon, the only word said by the flight attendant was a loud, emphatic "**YES!**", followed shortly thereafter with Luigi's sudden departure from the plane as he was tossed out by the surprisingly strong flight attendant, ala Jazz being thrown out by Uncle Phil. As Luigi landed on his face with a thud, the plane's stairs folded back into it as it shuttled down the runway into an open hangar. Picking himself back up and dusting himself off with as much dignity as he could muster, Luigi let out a low whistle and rubbed his neck sorely.

"Mama Mia... Talk about a rough landing..."

Quickly regaining his bearings, Luigi made his way off of the tarmac and into the airport terminal, eager to get inside and out of the cool, nippy New Appelle air. As he stepped into the crowded, noisy New Appelle International Airport, Luigi glanced around the enormous main terminal nervously, looking for an exit into the city proper. Almost as soon as he set foot into the building, however, he was immediately accosted by an incredibly scuzzy looking Goomba with a black, pinstriped baseball cap and a slicked back, black ponytail that looked as if it hadn't been washed in months, if not years. All in all, the Goomba practically radiated sleaze, and unfortunately for Luigi, he began to speak to him, an unpleasant gleam in his eye.

"Hehehe, wow buddy, you look like you got hit by a train!" the Goomba began before Luigi could escape, sidling up to him in an uncomfortably close manner. Grinning at the altogether frazzled expression on Luigi's face, the Goomba continued his spiel. "You need a lawyer, pal? 'Cuz hey, as it just so happens, I am, in fact, one of the greatest lawyers in all of New Appelle! Goom E. Ryerson, attorney at law, at your service!" Somehow pulling a shifty looking degree out of his 'pocket' without actually having hands, or pockets for that matter, the Goomba held it up just long enough for Luigi to begin noticing that the words appeared to be drawn on by hand in crayon, then quickly stuffed it back away and pulled a much smaller object out, thrusting it into Luigi's gloved hand against his will. "Here, take a card, and we can get down to business, alright palsy?"

Luigi stood there momentarily dazed at the sudden and fast-paced nature of this unexpected meeting, as he looked down at the filthy, torn up card that he just KNEW was going to stain his glove in some way. Quickly shaking himself out of his stupefied state, Luigi began to back away from the Goomba, shaking his head and stuttering, "O-Oh no, I-I don't need a lawyer!"

"You sure, buddy? Because you look AWFULLY banged up there..." the Goomba stated persuasively, slithering back up to Luigi like a snake playing with it's wounded prey.

"N-No, no, I'm quite sure, I'm a-ok, no lawyer needed for me, no siree!" Luigi replied, desperately trying to get away from the ambulance chasing Goomba at all costs.

"Ah, well, your loss then, pal!" the Goomba finally relented, muttering "Lousy rotten bum..." under his breath as Luigi stepped onto a busy escalator, which the Goomba seemed none too keen on getting onto himself. As Luigi slowly rode downward, away from the Goomba, he heard the alleged lawyer call out behind him, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be back soon enough, hehehehehe!"

Luigi let out a shiver of slight horror once he stepped off the escalator. That sure wasn't what he expected the 'welcoming committee' to look like... Shaking his head, Luigi convinced himself it had to be an isolated incident, "_That guy probably does the same thing to every poor, unsuspecting shmuck who gets off the plane looking as confused as I did._" Luigi thought, chuckling to himself. Feeling a bit more at ease, he continued on his way, but quickly stopped off at a receptionist's booth the moment he spotted it, figuring it'd be a lot easier to just ask someone who worked at the place where the exit was rather than wandering around blindly, trying to find it himself.

Clearing his throat, he walked up to the receptionist's little tube shaped cubicle, or 'tubicle', as Luigi rather uncleverly thought to himself, and politely began to ask for directions from the unsettlingly happy looking receptionist Toad. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I-"

"Why, hello there! Welcome to New Appelle!" the receptionist Toad interrupted cheerfully, her already disturbingly robotic smile stretching even wider as she began to speak. "We here at Toadway Airlines hope you had an enjoyable flight, and we personally recommend the Shooting Star Suites hotel chain as your inn of choice during your visit! And remember to tell them Toadway Airlines sent you for an amazing 10% increase on the price of all amenities!"

Luigi blinked, staring back at the receptionist nervously, letting out an uncomfortable forced laugh as the receptionist continued to smile blankly at him. Slowly, he started trying to explain his situation again, once he was sure she didn't have another sales pitch to interrupt him with. "U-Um, b-but I-"

Before Luigi could get another word out, the receptionist slammed her booth's little window, taping a piece of paper to her side which read "Sorry, gone to lunch!", though she still continued to do nothing but stare at Luigi eerily from the other side, unflinching, unblinking, and unmoving, watching him the entire way as he shuffled out of the area and into the next one, stuffing his hands into his pockets and sighing in annoyance. Eventually, after a few more fruitless minutes of walking around in circles and getting nowhere, Luigi decided to stop and rest for a moment in a small waiting lounge, to try and get his bearings back as best he could. Unfortunately, he couldn't help but overhear a whole variety of other depressing conversations as he stood in the cramped, overpacked lounge.

"Wonderful, another business trip to this rotten apple of a city... Am I ever going to be able to see my wife and kids' faces again?" muttered an orange spotted Toad in a sharp business suit, who looked to be burning through his company's expense account at the lounge's cola bar. Taking a long swig of his Chuckola Cola, he laughed bitterly to himself and shook his head. "Not like it matters, since I doubt they even remember mine anymore..."

Frowning sadly at the man's plight, Luigi's attention turned to a very out of place looking Doogan standing at the corner of the cola bar, who wore tacky clothing more suited to a tropical island tourist trap than to a place like New Appelle. The lime green Hawaiian shirt and hot neon pink swim trunk wearing Doogan paced back and forth in an anxious, overly caffeinated manner, as he spoke loudly to a Koopa who had the misfortune of being nearby him, his voice almost as grating and obnoxious to listen to as his clothing was to look at.

"Can you believe this, man?! Talk about totally bogus! I have no idea how I even ended up here!" the Doogan said in irritation, the poor Koopa looking as if he'd rather be having dinner with a group of starved cannibals than listening to the Doogan's tale of supposed misery. "I was supposed to be heading to the Keelhaul Key Resort for my vacation, I reserved the presidential suite and everything! But now I only have enough money to make the return trip... Man, this bites!" The Doogan kicked stupidly at a nearby bar stool, injuring his foot in the process and giving the Koopa a chance to escape while he was distracted hopping up and down on his uninjured foot. Once he stopped hopping, he sighed in disgust, then put his hand up to his chin and muttered to himself, "...I wonder if there are any good lawyers in this town..."

Luigi merely shook his head at both the Doogan's story and his actions, then stood up to get back to looking for the exit, more than ready to get away from the lounge of despair and misery before he overheard any other tales of misfortune. However, as he was turning to leave, an incredibly giddy and excited looking red-spotted female Toad came riding down the escalator he had gotten off of earlier, with a voice almost as obnoxious as the Doogan's, though with a noticeably southern/hick accent, and whose appearance and demeanor just SCREAMED 'naive tourist'. She talked loudly to herself, drawing a lot of attention from passers by which she seemed completely oblivious to, lost in her own little world.

"Ah, finally, I'm here in the big city!" the Toad exclaimed, twirling through the small, cramped lounge as best she could, completely ignoring all the scathing looks she was getting from the people she walked past, seemingly without a care in the world. "I've waited so long to get out of my podunk little home town, I was starting to think this day would never arrive! Now my only worry is, where should I go first? Should I see Madame Flurrie's newest play, get something to eat from one of the super famous restaurants in 'The Circle', or head to the stadium to watch the Chomps demolish whatever poor team has the misfortune of playing them today? Ah, decisions, decisions..." Stopping in place, seemingly to actually try to use her brain for a moment, the Toad began looking all around her before catching a glimpse of the closest person to her, who just so unfortunately happened to be Luigi. Smiling broadly at him, she rushed up to him like a moth to a flame before he had much of a chance to get away, and began speaking to him so quickly he could hardly make out what she was saying. "Say, you don't know your way around here, do you? Oh, wait, what am I saying, of COURSE you don't! I mean, who in their right mind would wear an outfit as tacky as THAT in a place like this besides some kind of clueless out-of-town backwoods yokel? Sorry for asking such a silly question! La-da-dee-dee-daaaaaa~!"

With that, the Toad girl twirled back off in a random direction, humming to herself as she assumingly went looking for another person to completely talk over. Luigi could do little more than take off his hat and scratch his head in bewilderment. He had been involved in three conversations so far, if you could even call them that, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise in any of them. He had been in New Appelle for all of ten minutes, and he already couldn't stand it. And he hadn't even left the airport yet!

"_Well, surely the rest of the city isn't like this._" Luigi thought to himself, trying his best to stay positive, something he wasn't particularly skilled in doing. "_I'm sure most big city airports are filled to the brim with nutjobs like these, so it probably doesn't have any bearing whatsoever about what the actual citizens of this fine city are really like...I hope._"

As Luigi was lost in thought, a small hand crept up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, this your first time in the big city, buddy?" came a sudden voice from behind Luigi, causing him to whip around and jump back in fright from the unexpectedness of it. The source of the voice and the hand, a rather normal looking (in comparison to the other people Luigi had met in the airport, at least) blue-spotted male Toad, held his hands up in front of himself non-threateningly, letting out a small laugh at Luigi's reaction. "Whoa-hoa-hoa, sorry 'bout that, pal, didn't mean to scare ya like that! You just looked so tweaked out there, I wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all!"

Once Luigi's heart managed to dislodge itself from his throat, he took a few deep, calming breaths and replied regretfully to the Toad. "A-Ah, no, it's alright, everything scares me... Er, I mean... Yeah, this is my first time in the big city. Or, well, my first time in ANY big city, really. So it's just a little daunting to me, that's all. I'm sure I'll get used to it soon, though!"

"Hoo boy..." The Toad let out a low breath, looking at Luigi with concern, an expression that Luigi was none too pleased to see. "Well, I hate to break it to ya, fella, but take my advice, most of the people here are slimier than the sewers, and they smell worse to boot. So if I were you, I'd try an' keep my mouth shut and not talk to any old random stranger that you happen to meet, like you're doing right now!"

"O-O-O-Oh dear..." Luigi stuttered in worry, any sense of optimism he had left flushed right down the proverbial toilet.

"Oh, and make sure you keep any and all personal items and valuables close to your person at all times, ESPECIALLY if you happen to accidentally walk down any back alleys." the Toad continued, much to Luigi's utter chagrin. "There's a reason people always leave here poorer than they arrived, and believe me, it ain't the 'five star' services and entertainment!"

"A-Ah, I'll... I'll keep that in mind..." Luigi stuttered, no longer wanting to leave the airport. He quickly did his best to silence those thoughts of cowardice, however; this was no time for 'that' Luigi to rear his head, he was on an important mission, and bah gawd, he wasn't going to give up before he even got started! Steeling his nerves, he tipped his cap and smiled at the Toad, forcing his negative thoughts into the back of his mind. "Well, th-thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely make sure to stay on my guard at all times while I'm here."

"No problem, man, just tryin' to do my part to warn people who don't know any better, because the last thing you wanna be in a city like this is clueless." the Toad said, smiling wearily back at Luigi. "I dunno what you're here for, but stay on your toes, pal, and good luck, because you're gonna need it!"

With that, the Toad waved goodbye, a gesture that Luigi returned to him, and he walked away, leaving Luigi alone.

"Oh boy, that's just great, since good luck is something that's morally opposed to me..." Luigi mumbled dryly to himself as soon as he was alone. Suddenly, he felt like kicking himself, realizing he should've asked the helpful Toad for directions, since he was still completely lost. Sighing hopelessly, Luigi knew one thing for sure at least; when he was ready to go home, he was taking a boat.

Thankfully for Luigi, the exit wasn't as hard to find as he feared it was going to be, and he eventually stumbled upon it after about ten more minutes of walking around aimlessly, following signs that weren't nearly as informative and helpful as the should have been in Luigi's opinion. Nevertheless, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief once he finally saw the exit doors, and sat down on a padded seat near the door to make sure he had everything tucked away safely as the friendly Toad had told him to before he headed out into the city. Sound from a nearby TV caught his attention, and as he looked at it, he saw a familiar sight displayed upon it.

"This is Clara T., reporting to you LIVE from the Toad Town docks!" came the enthusiastic voice of the television reporter, who indeed was standing in the exact spot that Luigi had been just hours ago. Catching a glimpse of Club 64 in the background, Luigi's stomach rumbled, and he licked his lips longingly at the thought of digging into one of their delicious seafood dishes, sighing sadly to himself once he realized he wouldn't be able to taste it for a good long while, and equally hoping the food in New Appelle was both edible and not too expensive.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, earlier today, the Grand Toadstool, the Mushroom Kingdom's new royal cruise ship, set off on its maiden voyage from this very port, taking with it an absolute smorgasbord of S-List celebrities and socialites of incomparable renown, from movie stars, to superstar athletes, to famous geniuses, and everyone else in between! And of course, it just wouldn't be right if the cruise didn't contain the two most famous and beloved citizens in our entire kingdom, the always lovely Princess Peach and her hero and our, the one and only SUPER Mario!"

"Always with the 'super' moniker..." Luigi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Sure'd be nice if people called me 'Super' Luigi all the time like that..."

"And folks, make sure you tune in at 9:00, as we'll be broadcasting LIVE ON LOCATION aboard the Grand Toadstool itself, with our venerable veteran reporter, Klarc Koopsleeve, there to interview anyone and EVERYONE! You don't wanna miss it folks, so stay right here, on your number one source for news in New Appelle, MKBN!"

"Boy, what I wouldn't give to be on that cruise right now..." came the voice of a female Koopa who was sitting across from Luigi, shaking her head longingly. "Because man-o-man, am I tired of this place. Let me tell you, there's nothing more depressing than watching the people who hang out in airports, ESPECIALLY this one. It's so easy to tell who's who just by the looks on their faces. Miserable businessmen whose jobs constantly keep them away from their families, sleazy ambulance chasing lawyers trying to scam up new 'clients', naive out-of-towners who think the big city's some super great place like it's portrayed as in the movies and on TV..." Staring at Luigi, she raised her eyebrow curiously. "...But I gotta say, I can't tell WHAT you're here for. Is there some sort of septic worker's convention going down in town today?"

"Er, actually, I'm..." Luigi bit his lip when he remembered what the letter said about not telling anyone a thing about why he was there for. "...Yeah, let's... Let's go with that."

"Oh, great, in that case, do you think you could come take a look at my toilet before you head out there?" the Koopa asked, leaning in close to Luigi before finishing her sentence in a rather embarrassed manner. "You see, I kind of... Flushed my phone down it... Totally by accident, of course! But yeah, I can't really call anyone OR use the bathroom until I get it out, so..."

"Oh, uh, gee, m-maybe later, ma'am..." Luigi stated semi-regretfully, getting up and walking to the door before the Koopa had a chance to try and persuade him any further. He was still aching from the last toilet he and his brother had to unclog, so Luigi sure wasn't looking to do THAT again anytime soon.

Bracing himself as best he could for both the cold and whatever else awaited him, Luigi stepped out through the airport's automatic doors, finally setting foot into New Appelle City proper for the very first time. The city that sprawled out before him was not at all what he was expecting, and he stood and stared in awe; at the tall, tall buildings, the throngs of people rushing to and fro, and the astounding numbers of lights that lit the entire city up like one big Christmas tree. Luigi had never been to a place quite like New Appelle before, and the sights, smells, and sounds that surrounded him flooded his senses with a feeling of pure wonderment.

"Wow, they aren't kidding when they call this place the big city..." he said to himself, continuing to stare ahead of him, his eyes darting from one point of interest to the next.

Unfortunately, Luigi became so entranced in the city that was sprawled out in front of him that he didn't even notice the vile green suited Bandit the was sneaking up behind him until it was too late.

"Haha, thanks for the coins, sucker!" the Bandit sneered, bumping forcefully into Luigi, swiping his wallet with ease, then zipping out of sight down a nearby back alley, all before Luigi could even react.

"W-W-W-WAH!" Luigi cried out in shock, stumbling forward from the force of the Bandit's unexpected bump, almost stumbling right into a lane of busy traffic. Quickly stopping himself before he became roadkill, Luigi hopped back and started patting down the pocket he had stuffed his wallet into, realizing it was no longer there.

"N-NO! All my coins, and my passport, too!" Luigi cried, horrified that he had already fallen prey to the city. "Oh no, oh no! I won't be able to do ANYTHING if I don't get those back! I gotta catch that lousy, rotten thief before he gets away!"

Looking frantically in the direction that he thought the Bandit took off to, he spotted a lone, dark alleyway, the sight of which made Luigi's blood run cold. There was no way, NO _WAY_ that Luigi would EVER so much as THINK of going down such a horrifyingly foreboding alleyway, let alone at night... Unless he absolutely had to. And, unfortunately for him, that was just the case.

"M-M-M-M-Mama M-Mia..." Luigi continued to hesitate, until suddenly realizing that the Bandit was getting further and further away the longer he waited. Steeling up all his nerve, Luigi ran towards the alley, feeling as if he was rushing straight into the maw of death itself.

As he made it to the entrance of the alleyway, Luigi was greeted with a sight that he was not expecting, but one that made him even more terrified than he already was.

"Hey girly, dat's a nice camera ya got dere!"

"Hehehe, that ain't the ONLY thing she's got on her that's nice!"

"Oh yeah, I think you mighta taken a wrong turn somewhere, didn'tcha, girly?"

Dimly illuminated by a dying street light, a group of thugs, consisting a Bandit, a Doogan, and a Goomba, had someone cornered, although Luigi couldn't make out what she looked like, as she was pinned into a corner by the thugs, making it impossible for Luigi to make much out other than a brief glimpse of something green.

"Sh-Shut up, you creeps!" cried the girl. While the fear in her voice was clearly evident, she didn't seem like she was going to just back down either. "Get lost, you jerks! You... You don't wanna mess with me! I... I know people! DANGEROUS people! People that are gonna rip you guys to shreds if they find out you did anything to me!"

"Ohoho, is dat right, girly?" came the snide reply of whom Luigi assumed was the leader of the group, the Bandit. Sneering evilly, the Bandit laughed. "Well, I guess we won't leave anything for these 'people' to find, then."

As the Bandit and the Goomba laughed horribly, the Doogan had a troubled look upon his face, and he was quick to speak his concern to his leader. "B-But, boss, what if she ain't kiddin'? For all we know, she might be some mob boss' daughter or somethin'!"

"Y-Yeah, that's right, that's exactly what I am!" the girl said quickly, which only served to enhance the frightened expression on the Doogan's face. The Bandit, however, merely growled in annoyance.

"Doogley, you idiot, dere ain't no mobs what are run by dem dumb dinos!" the Bandit scalded, smacking the Doogan upside the head.

"Oh..." Doogley replied, rubbing his head before the worried look came back to it. "B-But, boss, what if she's adopted?"

"Y-Yeah, what if I'm adopted?!" the girl cried, before quickly amending her statement. "I-I mean, yeah, I'm adopted, that's exactly what I am! And boy oh boy, are you idiots ever gonna get it when my dad finds out about this! He's gonna send his associates out, and they're gonna make it so that you'll have to eat everything through a straw for the rest of your lives! I-In fact, knowing how paranoid he is, he uh, he probably already sent some guys out to follow me, he's always worried about me like that! So, uh, you guys, you better just run now, if you know what's good for you!"

The Bandit smacked the Doogan again, harder this time, as he whimpered in apparent fear of the repercussions of their actions. Once more, the Bandit seemed nonplussed, folding his arms and sneering at the girl.

"Oh yeah, is dat right, girly?" the Bandit asked, clearly not convinced at all by the girl's obvious lies. "So, tell me dhen, where are all dese so called 'associates' of yer 'daddy', huh?"

"Uhhhhh..." As the thugs laughed and began to close in on the girl, she shuffled around, looking around desperately for something, then suddenly gasping and pointing. "Th-There's one right now! And oh my gosh, it's... It's '_HIM_'! Wow, you guys are DEAD MEAT now!"

The thugs all turned around to look at the person that the girl was pointing at.

"O-Oh no..." Luigi whimpered, as all three thugs began glowering at him threateningly. "Somehow, I should've seen that coming..."

* * *

Okay so, the next part of the prologue should be up soon. I think. Hopefully. And then the first Chapter of the "game", oh boy.

...That is if I don't end up making three more on site chapters before then filled with random NPC dialogue by accident.

Anyways bye for now!


End file.
